GE and NFL teaming up on head safety

Fairfield-based General Electric and the National Football League have been teaming up to study head injuries and this week announced the 16 winners of Stage One in the $20 million “Head Health Challenge.”

Winners came from Missoula, Mt., to South Bend, Ind., to Finland to Israel.

Their projects included everything from a new blood test that would rapidly measure traumatic brain injury to a brain imaging technique that would find broken connections in the brain after an injury to a mobile app that would recognize changes in speech acoustics that occur with concussions.

Winners are receiving a $300,000 award to advance their work to speed diagnosis and improve treatment for mild traumatic brain injury, a release said.

The entities will also provide mentorship, access to GE researchers and industry experts with the chance for up to six of the awardees to win another $500,000 in 2015.